Last Mini Cabrio rolls off the line

Posted Thu Aug 7 2008 2:29 AM by James Martinez

In preparation for the launch of the Mark II Mini Cabrio due in March next year, production of the current model has come to an end with the last of the ‘R52’ first-generation droptops rolling off the line at the Oxford plant this week. The final model was a Mini Cooper S Cabrio Sidewalk finished in metallic silver that’s now on its way to the United States.

Mini has built more than 164,000 examples of the Cabrio since it was first launched back in 2004, including the standard Cooper, performance S and John Cooper Works, and the Mini One models.

The Mini Cooper Cabrio accounted for 79,500 of the total sales with the Cooper S Cabrio (and John Cooper Works versions) selling around 56,500 units. The remainder were Mini One Cabrio models.

American buyers were the second largest market for the car after the UK, and it also proved popular in Italy, Japan and even chilly Scandinavia.

With the conclusion of production of the R52, the Oxford plant will now concentrate on building the hardtop and Clubman models until first production of the Mark II Cabrio starts later this year.

2009 Mini Cabrio Mark II spy shots